My last column spawned a heated debate on The Local's Facebook page. The title of the column triggered a lot of feelings and many commented without reading the actual article first. The topic: Racism in HR.
READ ALSO: Working in Germany: It's a myth you need to know German to land a job
This survey shows that – all things equal – candidates with a “foreign sounding” name still have to apply to significantly more jobs in order to land an interview.
To be very clear: We are talking about German citizens, born and raised here in Germany, native German speakers, who went to a German school and university.
The only thing that's “different” about them: Their name sounds “foreign”.
A woman at a job interview. Photo: Depositphotos/eggeeggjiew
Which brings me to the real obstacle that international professionals face in Germany.
Everyone will tell you that “German language” is the obstacle to hiring you. But in most cases, it is not.
Over the years I heard stories of thousands of expats like you. They share their experiences with me in my annual Expats Career Survey and in my coaching sessions.
At the same time, I also get to hear the stories of HR managers, recruiters and department heads. They talk openly to me and tell me their real motivations. Something that they will never do with a candidate.
Because in many cases it would allow you to sue them for discrimination and more importantly: They simply don't care enough about you to provide you with real feedback, instead of the most convenient feedback.
'They know nothing about the actual job'
To be clear: There are great HR people out there. But the majority that I have spoken to over the years know very little about the profession for which they are hiring.
They are like referees at a soccer game who don't know that the whole point of soccer is to score goals. But they are still tasked with evaluating the players.
Additionally, HR attracts a certain type of personality. People who otherwise would have taken a job in government administration. They have a very strong desire for “safety”. Not the safety of the company though, but safety from criticism.
Their number one goal in life is to be “safe”. But then you come along and you are very “different” from the “normal” candidate.
What will a person do, who seeks “safety” above all? Will they take a risk or avoid a risk?
Of course they avoid the risk. And you are out.
When they reject you, they might say: “Oh, your German is still not good enough.”
Just what do recruiters say?
When they talk to me, they say things like this:
“I don't even read the CV from an Indian applicant. They play our software and know exactly which keywords to include in order to come out at the top. I reject them right away.”
“I cannot evaluate these foreign applications” (In this case, the person held a Master's degree from Cambridge University!)
“Simple rule: If I can't spell the name, then neither can our clients.”
This general study shows the prevalence of workplace discrimination in Germany compared to other countries. In 21 percent of a cases, it was said to be triggered by racism. Graph prepared for The Local by Statista.
“I look at the picture and invite those who seem fitting.” (This is 2019! Unbelievable!!) Guess what: That particular recruiter has so far never deemed a non-white person “fitting”.
I could go on and on.
It's not just foreigners, though. The fear of everything “unusual” is also holding back others who dare to be “different”.
“She got promoted way to fast and is too young for this position” (Guess what: How can you ever hire high achievers if you seed out the people who got promoted “too fast”? That's what *describes* a high achiever!)
“He is too old”.
“She is the right age. But she just got married. She probably wants children soon”. (To hear this from a female HR person amounts to betrayal of the sisterhood. Worse than any man.)
Just what jobs are available in Germany?
I regularly analyze nearly the complete German job market with our partner Textkernel B.V., combing through more than 53.000 job portals, companies websites, etc.
As of today (September 27th) there are 818,000 full-time positions available in Germany, and 24.400 of them are in English. A little less than three percent.
READ ALSO: How to get a job in Germany if you don't fit all of the criteria
At the same time, the Top 10 jobs in demand are:
-Software Developer
-Customer Service Consultant
-Web Developer
-SAP Consultant
-Sales Manager
-Account Manager
-Project Manager
-Business Development Manager
-Product Manager
-Scientist
Which of these jobs could you not do while also learning German? What I regularly experience when I talk with managers: “You need German” is not an evaluation. It's a gut reaction.
When you look closer at the actual goals, challenges and tasks in a position you very often find: The things that create the biggest value in the position can be done in English.
For other tasks, you can find a replacement. (Like Google Translate or hiring an intern to translate in contact with factory floor workers),
But in most cases you never get the chance to explain *how* you would help the hiring manager to achieve her goals. You get rejected based on superficial criteria that have no relation to the actual job.
Which let former Deutsche Telecom board Member Thomas Sattelberger to exclaim once: “How do you double performance in HR? You fire half the people.”
ABOUT CHRIS PYAK
Chris Pyak is the Author of “How To Win Jobs & Influence Germans“. The managing director of Immigrant Spirit GmbH has worked in four different cultures and lived in five different countries.
Chris returned to Germany in 2011. His mission: Bring the Immigrant Spirit to his home country. Chris introduces international professionals to employers in Germany.
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